Omie & Irie's Planet Parade
One clear evening, Irie spread a blanket in the backyard and set up her little telescope. Omie toddled after her, carrying his toy rocket and wearing his very serious stargazing face. Irie, with her spiky medium-brown hair and her small light-blue bow, pointed up at the sky.
"Tonight is special," she whispered. "The planets are having a parade!"
"A pay-ade?" Omie asked, bouncing on the blanket.
"A parade!" Irie laughed. "That means they march past, one after another, in a line. And best of all, they march in order, starting with the planet closest to the Sun."
Just then, the Sun seemed to wink, as if it were the parade leader saying, "Ready? Here they come!"
The First Four: The Rocky Planets
First came Mercury, a small grey planet hurrying along. It was so quick that Omie almost missed it!
"Mercury is the smallest planet," Irie said, "and it zooms around the Sun faster than any other planet. Its whole year lasts only eighty-eight days!"
"Fast, fast!" Omie cheered, zooming his toy rocket in a circle.
Next came Venus, glowing soft and golden. It looked pretty, but Irie shook her head with a smile.
"Venus is the hottest planet of all," she said, "even hotter than Mercury, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. And guess what? Venus spins backwards!"
"Backwards?" Omie giggled, and spun around the wrong way until he got dizzy and fell happily onto the blanket.
Third came Earth, blue and green and swirly white. It waved its oceans at them, and Omie waved back.
"That's our home!" Irie said proudly. "Earth is the only planet we know where people, animals, and plants live. Most of it is covered in ocean, which is why it looks so blue from space."
"Home!" Omie said, hugging the blanket as if it were the whole Earth.
Fourth came Mars, rusty red and proud. It wore its color like a favorite shirt.
"Mars is red because it is covered in rusty dust," Irie explained. "And it has the tallest volcano in the whole solar system. It is called Olympus Mons, and it is almost three times as tall as Mount Everest!"
"Big mountain!" Omie said, stretching his arms up as high as they would go.
A Helpful Song
Irie counted on her fingers. "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars," she said. "That is four. Can you remember them?"
Omie nodded very hard, which made his short spiky medium-brown hair bounce.
Irie taught him a little song to help: "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos!" Each first letter stood for a planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
"My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos!" Omie sang, although his version came out as "Nachos! Nachos!" He was very sure about the nachos part.
The Last Four: The Giant Planets
Next in the parade came Jupiter, huge and striped, rolling along like the biggest balloon in the world. Omie gasped.
"Jupiter is the biggest planet," Irie said. "More than a thousand Earths could fit inside it! And it has a giant storm called the Great Red Spot that is bigger than the whole Earth."
After Jupiter came Saturn, wearing the fanciest rings Irie and Omie had ever seen. The rings sparkled like a crown.
"Saturn's rings are made of ice," Irie said. "Tiny pieces of ice and rock, all going around and around. If you could find a bathtub big enough, Saturn would float!"
Then came Uranus, rolling along on its side like a ball that had tipped over.
"Uranus is tilted right over," Irie explained. "Most planets spin like tops standing up, but Uranus rolls around the Sun on its side, like it is doing a very slow somersault."
Omie tipped sideways on the blanket and rolled, just like Uranus.
Last of all came Neptune, deep blue and far away, waving from the very end of the parade.
"Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun," Irie said, "and it is the windiest place we know. Its winds can blow faster than a speeding jet plane!"
The Whole Parade, In Order
When the last planet had passed, Irie and Omie clapped and clapped. The Sun twinkled, as if it were clapping too.
"Let's say them all together," Irie said. "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune!"
"Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune!" Omie repeated, only tripping over Uranus, which made them both laugh. Uranus was a tricky word, but they practiced it twice more until it felt friendly.
"That is the order of the planets," Irie said, "from closest to the Sun to farthest away. The first four are small and rocky. The last four are big giants. And Earth is right in the middle of the rocky ones, which is just right for us."
Omie yawned a huge, happy yawn. Parades, it turned out, were wonderful, but they were also a little bit tiring.
As Irie tucked the blanket around them both, Omie pointed sleepily at the sky. "Nachos?" he asked.
Irie smiled. "Yes," she said. "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos. And if you ever forget the planets, just remember the nachos."
And under the quiet, twinkling sky, the two of them fell asleep dreaming of a parade that marched, in perfect order, all the way around the Sun.